Monday, June 11, 2012

My dog, Libby Lou Reynolds (September 25, 1997 - June 11, 2012)

Forgive me for this personal post.

I know most readers of this blog have little interest in my personal life, so I'll try to keep this fairly short. I just want to introduce the world to Libby, the greatest dog this world have ever seen, and now the greatest dog in heaven.

Libby was born on September 25, 1997, and passed away this morning, June 11, at about 12:15am. My siblings and I had begged for a dog for years and finally my parents conceded. She was feisty from the very beginning and it took almost 15 years to wear her out. Libby was always happy, never complained, and occasionally back talked to my parents when they would scold her for being naughty. Her tail would wag so hard that it would almost knock her off her own feet when she was younger, and knocked little kids off their feet throughout her life. She never bit or hurt anyone, and though she loved to wrestle, she would stop the instant she thought you might be injured. She won the hearts of many a little kid when she'd allow them to climb all over her and pull her ears and she'd do nothing except smile and lick them back.

Libby loved spending time in the mountains. When we'd take her hiking, she'd cover about 20 miles by the time we'd cover five. As she'd be hiking down the trail, she'd notice a marsh or pond of water and she'd disappear into the water for a swim. She'd always quickly return to make sure we were ok before she'd disappear again for more swimming.

She had a relatively long (for a Lab) and healthy life. It wasn't until the last year or two that she really slowed down due to arthritis and old age. Even in her old age she loved to be active, always bringing a ball to play fetch, but tiring out after a few minutes instead of a few hours. As my parents would work out in the yard, she would follow them around wherever they went. And as my mom would work in her office, she was always there laying on the floor by her side. She was a loving and loyal companion. Surely there never was a better dog than our beautiful black lab, Libby! She will be missed!